Tart Cherry-Apple Crunch

Tart cherries, apples and crunchy walnuts in this recipe create a healthy tasty treat for your sweet tooth!

There is no better start to a dessert than with plump, tart cherries and apples. And the walnuts in here add not only a crunchy texture, they also contribute healthful omega-3 fatty acids.

Food as Medicine

The insoluble fiber in apples attaches to LDL cholesterol in the digestive tract and removes it from the body; adding one large apple to the daily diet has been shown to reduce serum cholesterol by up to 11 percent. Research suggests that people who consume about 10 to 20 tart cherries a day have fewer attacks of gout, possibly by reducing the amount of uric acid in the blood.

1 pound frozen pitted tart cherries
1 green apple, cored and diced
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cherry or apple juice
Nonstick cooking spray

Topping:
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1. Preheat oven to  400°F.
2. In a bowl, toss together the cherries, apple, brown sugar, and almond extract.
3. In a cup, mix the cornstarch and juice and add to the fruit mixture, stirring well.
4. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch-square baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Mix together the remaining ingredients. Crumble the mixture on top of the fruit.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Raise heat to a broil and brown topping lightly for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from oven. Serve warm or cold.